Wood, as any woodworker will tell you fights back. Over time, it moves, it warps, and it does a lot of other things that present "challenges" to woodworkers. Wood also isn't consistent, depending on the species of tree, and where the wood comes from on that tree, wood can behave differently, look different, and in general ruin or make your day depending. A little knowledge about trees goes a long way toward improving your woodworking.

In this new book from Lost Art Press you will learn how to identify common woods used in woodworking, how they are logged and turned into lumber, and how to design your projects so that the properties of wood will work in your favor, not against. It's a short book, only 136 pages long, it's not for the academic, it's designed to be a readable and contain practical information. It's a must read for anyone who wants to harvest some of their own timber and anyone who wants to get the most effective usage out of cabinet grade American hardwoods. It is required reading for anyone who designs furniture because designing the structure of furniture, the pesky details, are all dependent on understanding how wood, the material, moves, bends, breaks, and holds strong.

Chapters include:

Trees and Wood Technology

Wood and Tree Identification and Characteristics

Woodlot Management and Harvest

Sawing and Drying Wood

Working With Solid Wood

The author, Christian Becksvoort, is a well known furniture maker, teacher, and frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking Magazine.

Like all Lost Art Press books, "With the Grain" is printed and bound in the United States on acid-free paper. The binding is Smythe sewn. The book is hardbound with a green cotton cover.